Where Were You On Opening Day?

May 25, 1983… one of the most famous and memorable days in motion picture history. If you are a Star Wars fan of a certain age, chances are you remember where you were that day. Like countless others who ditched school or called in sick to work, you were probably standing in a very long line awaiting your opportunity to see the concluding chapter of George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy. Yes, believe it or not, Return of the Jedi has turned thirty years old.

The tributes and retrospectives have begun to appear in honor of Jedi’s 30th anniversary. Now being promoted, J.W. Rinzler’s eagerly-awaited The Making of Return of the Jedi will hit book stores this autumn. Earlier this month, the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles hosted the new (and hopefully annual) CapeTown Film Fest, the brainchild of Entertainment Weekly and former Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex journalist Geoff Boucher. The fest included a 30th anniversary screening of Jedi at one of the few surviving theaters where Jedi originally played and even included an appearance by Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, who reminisced in a Q&A about its production and original release. Also screened with Jedi was Fanboys director Kyle Newman’s amusing and heartfelt new short film The Return of Return of the Jedi: 30 Years and Counting. And it’s now The Bits’ turn to get in on the anniversary action, and what better way to take you back to the time and place of experiencing Jedi for the first time than by showcasing a list of the theaters in which it opened?

Yes, what follows is a list of the movie theaters in the United States and Canada that opened Return of the Jedi on May 25, 1983. (There were, of course, hundreds of additional theaters, primarily in smaller cities, that played Jedi later that summer, but this retrospective focuses on the first wave of its release.) Following the list of original engagements is a collection of box-office data, which places the movie’s performance in context, as well as some reviewer quotes and production & release trivia.

Up to that point in time, Return of the Jedi was arguably the biggest motion picture event ever, with fans in some cities lining up days in advance to be among the first to see the movie. It may be difficult to comprehend or recall in the Internet/Social Media age, but never before had the industry witnessed this level of frenzy during the launch of a new movie. News coverage was beyond saturated with the opening making the front page of many a newspaper and even prompting some television news broadcasts to bump “if it bleeds it leads” stories to second place in favor of Star Wars. George Lucas even made the cover of TIME.

Jedi’s release is noteworthy as it was the first Star Wars movie to get a wide release, at least by 1980s standards, which offered a chance for millions of fans to experience the movie when it was brand new (as is common practice today albeit on a smaller scale). Jedi launched on just over 1,000 screens in about 800 theaters. In comparison, the opening weekend of the original Star Wars was in a mere 43 theaters. The Empire Strikes Back’s opening weekend theater tally was 127. Both movies took several weeks to reach a nationwide saturation level.

Aside from hopefully sparking good memories of seeing Return of the Jedi, this article provides a snapshot of sorts of the movie business in 1980s and offers a striking reminder of how going to the movies has evolved. So, without further ado… where were you on opening day?

NOTEWORTHY QUOTES

“Special effects don’t make the movie, and they are only important to tell the story and to give the characters credibility. If the characters are not there or the acting isn’t good, the movie will fall apart. It can’t sustain itself. People think these are special-effects movies. I would say the effects contribute maybe 15 to 20 percent to the enjoyability, effectiveness, and popularity of the movie.” — George Lucas

“This is the biggest release of a movie in 70mm ever.” — Producer Howard Kazanjian

“George Lucas is in the mold of Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner, Adolph Zukor, Darryl F. Zanuck, the great pioneers of the industry. He’s absolutely one of them. No one tells George Lucas what to do or how to do it. He is the epitome of America and the free mind working, and we’re getting better entertainment for it.” — Albert Szabo, Manager, GCC Avco Center Cinema, Los Angeles

A SAMPLING OF MOVIE REVIEWER QUOTES

“With Jedi, George Lucas may have pulled off the first triple crown of motion pictures.” — Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times

“Return of the Jedi doesn’t really end the trilogy as much as it brings it to a dead stop. The film is by far the dimmest of the lot. Let’s face it, Luke, the magic’s gone.” — Vincent Canby, The New York Times

“An exciting, technically astounding wrap-up to the Star Wars trilogy. The probability of success is about as definite as death and taxes.” — Jimmy Summers, Boxoffice

“If a producer wants backing for a new project, there’d better be a video game in it. Producers are putting so much action and so little character or point into their movies that there’s nothing for a viewer to latch on to. The battle between good and evil, which is the theme of just about every big fantasy adventure film, has become a flabby excuse for a lot of dumb tricks and noise.” — Pauline Kael, The New Yorker

“Two thumbs up!” — Siskel & Ebert At The Movies

“Third installment in the Star Wars saga is a sheer delight. Some routine performances are compensated for by ingenious new characters and special effects.” — Leonard Maltin, Entertainment Tonight

“Let’s not pretend we’re watching art!” — Rex Reed, New York Post

“From the moment that the familiar Star Wars introduction words begin to crawl up the screen, Return of the Jedi is a childlike delight. It’s the best video game around. And for the professional moviegoers, it is particularly enjoyable to watch every facet of filmmaking at its best.” — Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune

“John Williams’ music consists almost entirely of themes and variations on themes he composed for the two earlier movies. This, unfortunately, will be a complaint that many people will make against Return of the Jedi. They will feel that they have seen and heard it all before.” — Scott Cain, The Atlanta Constitution

"May the force stay with George Lucas and company. They crank out some of the most exciting films America has ever seen." — Kathy Thomas, The (Vacaville) Reporter

“Return of the Jedi is a triumph of movie wizardry; a snappy, dazzling celluloid comic book, capturing our emotions between its magical pages and holding them within a prison of wonderment. It’s a virtual toy box of dreams and surprises for children and adults of all ages.” — Steve White, The Worcester Telegram

“The Star Wars films have a mystic allure. They are clearly designed to appeal to the best in all of us and to exemplify universally admirable virtues—courage, the strength to fight against evil, romance, belief. They are built around the notion of a magic force in the universe which might be God or might be gravity; this force, in turn, is serviced by a knights’ order that is almost a clergy. The entire cosmology is rent by a titanic conflict between good and evil.” — Stephen Hunter, The (Baltimore) Sun

TRIVIA AND FACTOIDS

In lieu of a formal premiere for Return of the Jedi, Lucasfilm and Fox chose to hold regional charity previews between May 22-24. The cities in which these screenings were held included Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Flint, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, San Francisco, Toronto, and Tucson. As well, the movie was screened as a part of the Seattle International Film Festival.

The original title was Revenge of the Jedi. The title was changed a few months before release. Trailers and other promotional material with the original title had been issued prior to the title change, instantly turning such items into collectibles.

Blue Harvest was the production title used during location filming in California. The bogus, intentionally misleading title was used to (1) avoid drawing unnecessary attention by Star Wars fans, and (2) to deter production vendors from raising their rates to capitalize on a big-budget, high-profile production.

Disasters and mayhem: One of the Jedi’s seven reels was missing from the print delivered to the Sweetwater 6 in National City, California, causing a riot when the first-show crowd realized twenty minutes of the movie was missing. A 70mm print of the film valued at $12,000 was stolen at gunpoint from the Glenwood in Overland Park, Kansas. The print destined for the Bush River Mall Cinema I-II-III-IV in Columbia, South Carolina, mysteriously failed to be delivered in time for its first scheduled showing, prompting the theater to hastily request a replacement print. The Centre in Salt Lake City, Utah, experienced some weather-related damage, prompting its engagement to be relocated for a two-week period to the Regency. An engagement at the Continental in Denver, Colorado, was terminated following damage from a fire.

The pilots of the Imperial AT-ST Walker commandeered by Chewie and a couple of Ewoks were played by director Richard Marquand and co-producer Robert Watts.

The Imperial soldier that commanded Han and the rebels to “Freeze!” during the Endor bunker scene was played by sound designer Ben Burtt. During his fall after being struck by Han, he gives a “Wilhelm”-style scream as a tribute to a famous sound effect.

Among Jabba the Hutt’s henchmen were characters named Klaatu, Barada and Nikto, a nod to the 1951 science-fiction classic The Day the Earth Stood Still.

The THX Sound System and Theatre Alignment Program (TAP) were introduced in conjunction with the release of Return of the Jedi.

At the time of its 1983 release, Return of the Jedi had the largest order of 70-millimeter prints struck for a North American film release. The expensive and time-consuming-to-manufacture 70mm print run was so large that the lab was unable to deliver every print in time for opening day, leaving some theaters to open their engagement with a 35mm back-up print until their 70mm print arrived over the course of the first few days of the release.

Southern California fans David Maples and Patricia Smith, dressed as Han Solo and Princess Leia, were married while in line at the Egyptian in Los Angeles. A fan dressed as Yoda presided over the ceremony.

Jedi was screened for Lucasfilm employees and their families on May 7, 1983, at the Coronet in San Francisco.

A music video was produced for the musical number “Lapti Nek” performed by Jabba the Hutt’s palace band. The video was broadcast during summer 1983 on music video channels such as MTV. (The song was replaced in the Special Edition version.)

“Celebrate the Love” is the English lyric featured in the Ewokese victory celebration song. (This music was replaced in the Special Edition with a new composition.)

Despite the intense secrecy surrounding the movie’s plot and relationship between characters, the novelization was released to bookstores two weeks before the movie’s release. As well, on the day of the movie’s release, hundreds of newspapers across the United States published an Associated Press article which included a paragraph that revealed major plot points and character details.

Two original making-of television documentaries were created. (Star Wars and Empire each had a single making-of documentary.) Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi was broadcast on CBS on November 21, 1983. From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga was broadcast on PBS on December 3, 1983.

In North America, Return of the Jedi was re-released on March 29, 1985. On March 28, the day before its re-release, nine cinemas in eight markets showed for charity a Star Wars triple feature. The eight markets chosen for the one-day-only 70mm event were Chicago (Carnegie), Dallas (Northpark), Denver (Continental), Los Angeles (Avco and Egyptian), New York (Warner Twin), San Francisco (Coronet), Seattle (Cinema 150), and Toronto (Uptown). Jedi was also re-released, as a Special Edition, on March 14, 1997.

In the United States, Return of the Jedi was released to the home video market in February 1986, thirty-three months after its theatrical release. (A six-month window was the industry norm at the time.) The first network television broadcast was on NBC on March 19, 1989. Its first letterboxed release (on LaserDisc) was in 1990. Its first DVD release (Special Edition) was in 2004. Its first DVD release featuring the original version was issued in 2006. Its first Blu-ray release was in 2011.

AWARDS

Visual Effects (Special Achievement Oscar), Best Actor (Mark Hamill, Saturn), Best Costumes (Saturn), Best Make-Up (Saturn), Best Science-Fiction Film (Saturn), Best Special Effects (Saturn), Best Special Visual Effects (BAFTA), Best Dramatic Presentation (Hugo), Favorite Motion Picture (People’s Choice Award). The film was nominated for an Academy Award in the categories of Art Direction, Original Score, Sound, and Sound Effects Editing. John Williams’ original score was also nominated for a Grammy.

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SPECIAL THANKS: Jim Barg, Paul Bubny, Raymond Caple, Kevin Chatham, Bill Kretzel, Ronald Lee, Mark Lensenmayer, Paul Linfesty, Adam Martin, Scott Neff, Jim Perry, Vince Young, and a huge thank you to all of the librarians who helped with the research for this project.

SOURCES/REFERENCES: Numerous newspaper articles, film reviews and theater advertisements; various articles published in Bantha Tracks, Boxofficemojo, The Hollywood Reporter, Time Magazine, and Variety, and the books George Lucas’s Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success (George Lucas Books/Harper Collins, 2010) and The Making of Return of the Jedi (Ballantine, 1983).